Passengers aboard an American Airlines flight were stuck on hot planes in a nearly six-hour delay on Sunday afternoon, prompting complaints and panic attacks from those aboard.
A flight from the Charlotte Douglas International Airport in North Carolina to John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens, New York, was scheduled to depart at 1:07 p.m., but it did not take off until 7:03 p.m. due to “a maintenance issue” on the plane that needed to be repaired, as well as scattered thunderstorms and rain that touched down in the area, an American Airlines spokesman told the Washington Examiner. During the delay, one passenger had a “mental breakdown,” and others complained of the lack of air conditioning and food and beverage services, according to a Charlotte Observer reporter who was on board the aircraft.
“While certainly an unfortunate delay, it is something we apologize to our customers for with the combination of maintenance and weather,” American Airlines representative Andrew Trull said.
FLIGHT CANCELLATION LEADS TO STRANGERS TAKING 1,200-MILE ROAD TRIP TOGETHER
During the delay, passengers were told to deplane around 3:50 p.m. and were transferred to another aircraft at 4:30 p.m. The passengers had access to dining options and other facilities while in the airport terminal, and they had the opportunity to deplane at all times while their plane was at the gate, the spokesman said.
A preconditioned air duct was hooked up to the aircraft while the airline attempted to resolve the problem, according to the spokesman. However, the plane’s air source appeared to be off or low because “they turned it OFF to save fuel until people started sobbing and having panic attacks,” the Observer reporter wrote on social media.
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The airline’s customer relations team is reaching out to affected customers, the spokesman said.
A delay for either the departure or arrival of domestic flights requires an opportunity for passengers to deplane within three hours of the door closing or arrival into a city and four hours for international flights, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
